Blind Ambition
by Saroya
Summary: [shounen-ai, AU] Horohoro is a slacker in school, passing his classes by cheating and focusing on one thing and one thing only- the success of his band, Oversoul. When a new student is transferred to his school, he finds himself focusing on something new-
1. Introduction

Blind Ambition

By: Saroya

Rated: PG-13 for now. (Language, suggestive humor)

Warning:Shounen Ai for now.All haters go elsewhere.

Five thirty a.m. - an excruciating time to be up any day of the week. And yet there he was, the boy with blue and black hair- Horohoro, wandering through the halls of his school, there before everyone else as usual.

Sure, he could've come a little later, maybe slept in another half hour or so, but then again, he had a reason to be there at such an early time- something so tempting that even a full-time slacker like himself got excited about. The reason: free food and access to the school's computer database. Let's just say this was his version of "extra credit".

The spiky-haired boy peeked around a corner, being sure to not run into any janitors. Seeing no one in his way, he hastily trotted down the tile floor, sneakers not making a sound after years of practice. Nearly everyday he'd trace this path, a few yards down the main hall, a left at the gym, down another hallway until you came to the stairs, and then a right, landing him right smack at his least favorite class- Chemistry.

Horohoro was a surprisingly smart boy when it came to math, could b.s. his way through an essay in history and had no problem doing the writing assignments in English, but the one class he could not handle was located in the torture chamber in front of him. He blew up things in labs, snored a bit too loud during his teacher's lectures, was at a loss for words to explain his answers, and just plain bombed nearly every question on every test. This was why he could be found almost every day, sneaking his way to the door, picking the lock and entering the lab as silent as a mouse, all to look at other people's answers and change his own.

Slumping down into his teacher's chair, he reached below to the lowest drawer of the desk and shuffled through, until he found what he was looking for- the bottle of scotch that was always kept well hidden within old essay papers. Grinning to himself, he popped the top and took a sip, sighing as he switched on the computer, the dull humming sound reverberating from the monitor as it booted up. He typed in the password, clicked on grades and skimmed through the long list of student names until he found his own- the grade written down: F. The boy grumbled curses at his senile teacher as he went through all his assignments, many of which were graded with a big fat 0, and quickly began to bring up his grade. In less than fifteen minutes, he had a C.

Quite happy with himself, he grinned widely and shut down the computer- as much as he hated his teacher, the old man was good for one thing: deception. He would go with whatever his computer told him, even if he knew it wasn't right. And not once had he questioned whether or not someone might have broken in to change things. For those reasons, he loved that cranky bastard.

He went to one of the sinks in the lab, filling the bottle up to about the point it had been before his little intrusion and set it back in place in the purposely crowded drawer. Horo let out a great yawn as he closed the Chemistry door behind him, re-locking it as he went. Looking around and scratching the back of his head, he began to stroll down the hall, heading no where in particular, hands in his pockets.

"Horohoro!"

The blue-haired teen's eyes shot open, coming face to face with angry little eyes, similar to his own. Sitting up from where he'd been stretched out on the front step on the school entrance, he glared at his little sister, Pirika.

"What do you want?" he whined, glancing at his watch- it was now seven a.m., meaning he'd managed to gain another hour of sleep since changing his grades.

"If you don't wake up soon, you're gonna be late for class!" she snapped, slapping him upside the head.

"Damn it!" he growled, rubbing his face. "Class doesn't start for a half an hour! I'll be fine- just leave me alone!"

"Well then, what if I told you your loyal band mates are waiting for you somewhere?" she asked slyly, grinning as his eyes widened.

"Pirika," he replied slowly. "Just tell me where Yoh and the others are and I won't be forced to kill you." The blue-haired girl grinned, patting her brother's spiked up hair.

"Heh, they're out back as usual," she giggled, and skipped up the steps into the school. Her brother grumbled something under his breath before rising to his feet, sighing as he made his way around the school, not bothering to wave to his Chemistry teacher as the old man passed him along the way.

Seeing the spiky brown hair from where he stood, he headed for the wall that lined the back entrance of the school. Yoh sat on the wall, grinning down at the tiny dirty-blonde boy, Manta, and Lyserg, the boy with the bright green hair, laughed from where he leaned against the pale tan cement barrier. Ryu, their tall upperclassman friend, smirked at whatever joke Yoh had said.

"Hey," he greeted apathetically to the group of boys, who all turned in his direction, waving small hellos to the blue and black haired boy. Horo climbed up the wall, taking his usual spot beside Yoh, looking around at his three best friends.

All together, they formed Oversoul, a band of five delinquent boys, who'd been playing together for two years. Yoh was the lead singer and one of the guitarists, Ryu played guitar, Lyserg the keyboards, Horo the drums, and Manta was their manager and producer- worrying about everything the other laid-back group members didn't.

"Here for extra credit?" Yoh chuckled form beside him, getting a small nod and yawn in return. Horo heard a small sniff come from Manta, and smirked down at the little boy.

"Got somethin' to say, shorty?"

The small brunette glared at him. "It's just that some people actually work for their grades, idiot. Don't call me shorty," he growled.

You know I'm just kidding, Manta," the other boy laughed. "And who says I'm not working? It took me a whole fifteen minutes to fix my grade!" The shorter boy grumbled as the rest of the group burst out in laughter.

"Hey, jerks!" All five boys flinched simultaneously- that shrill, bone-chilling voice could only be that of one girl- Anna Kyoyama. They winced as the blonde-haired girl stepped out of the back doors, glaring at every one of them.

When she'd told them that she wanted to be their "roadie", they had thought she meant that she'd run around, helping them get ready for concerts, moving equipment, ect- alas, that wasn't the deal. Instead, she called herself a kind of "motivator"- in other words, she was just like Manta, only in girl form. She bossed the boys around, making sure they kept up in school while also working hard for the band. Horo could remember all the times he'd gotten a phone call in the wee hours of the morning from Anna, the girl yelling at him to go to bed and sleep. Though none of them would admit it, she was good to have around.

"Oh, hi, Anna," Yoh greeted nervously, giving her a small wave. Her head whipped in his direction, eyes narrowing.

"Hi nothing, slacker," she growled. "The bell rings in five minutes, and then your ass is late," she turned to look at the rest of them. "In other words, all of you better move!"

"Oh, Anna, do you have to be so rude about it?" a small voice said from behind the blonde girl. Anna whipped around, glaring down into the eyes of a shorter, pink haired girl. Immediately the other girl's eyes widened and she looked down at her shoes. "Umn…I mean…never mind." Tamao was the shyest girl of Anna's group, which consisted of her, Tamao and Pirika, who at this point had left Anna to deal with her brother and his friends.

"That's what I thought," the blonde sniffed, and then looked back at the band members. "Now, are you guys coming?"

Groaning, all five boys picked up their backpacks and books, and headed into the overly-crowded public school.

Saroya's Note: I have finally posted something somewhat good on this account! Yes! Please review and tell me what you think, because I want to know if I should bother continuing this.

Saroya's Preview: A new kid shows up in HoroHoro's class. Any guesses on whom he may be?


	2. A Less Than Friendly Encounter

Blind Ambition

Chapter 2: A Less Than Friendly Encounter

By: Saroya

Rated: PG-13 for now. (Language, suggestive humor)

Warning: SHOUNEN-AI. All haters go elsewhere.

Disclaimer: (Forgot this last time, huh?) I do not own Shaman King.

"Horohoro!"

The black and blue haired boy whirled around in the middle of the hallway, watching as a blue head bobbed it's way through the crowd, Pirika racing towards him. He half-waved as she fell into step with him, waiting as she caught her breath.

"Why are you going this way?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Isn't your third period on the other side of the school?" His sister's eyes shone brightly as she excitedly shook her head no. "Well then what's up?"

"There's a new student here who transferred from Shinanome Academy!" she squealed, clasping her hands together. "Can you believe it? Someone from _that school_ is coming here!"

"Feh," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Shinanome is over-rated- just a school where they send all those super-brains." He stuck his tongue out indignantly. Pirika glared at him hatefully.

"You're just saying that because they didn't accept you when you applied!" she snapped.

"Correction: Mom sent in the application. I honestly didn't give a crap if I got in or not. Going there would just mean more homework and less time for my band." The younger girl continued to glower at her brother. Sensing the foreboding lecture, he quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, what does a new student have to do with you not going to class?"

Once again her eyes brightened. "Since I have an A in all my classes," she began, aiming a small smirk in his direction, getting only a sneer in return. "They're having me show the new kid around- help them get used to things. He'll be sitting with us at lunch, too."

"Sounds like a blast," Horo replied sarcastically, noticing where they were. "Well, this is my class, so see you at lunch, Brainiac. Have fun mingling with your kind." He grinned, watching her face turn beet red in rage. Turning, he entered his third period class: Art.

Sitting in a corner in the back of the Art room, Horohoro bent over his notebook, feverishly writing as a documentary about a European artist named Picasso played at the front of the room. Sure, they were probably going to do something that related to the video. And sure, he'd probably be completely and utterly clueless when it came time to do actual work, but when inspiration hit, all he could do was work. And at that very moment, he had the urge to write.

Even though he was the drummer for the band, he often wrote songs for Oversoul- everything from lyrics, to drum parts, to guitar solos. His memorization of all the different clefs for different instruments made some people believe that he did inherit some of the "genius" genes that Pirika seemed to have, but none spoke of it. As far as people were concerned, Pirika was the mastermind of the family, and Horo was the "musically inclined" one.

Horo's almost dazed writing was brought to a halt by a sharp knock on the Art room door. It even made his teacher, who had the personality that fit a Clear Eyes commercial perfectly, to jump in his chair, where he'd been sleeping. Groaning, the old man rose to his feet, stalking across the wide room to the door. Opening it, he stared out at whoever was there, scratching his head.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," a curt, young female voice said from outside. "But I have a new student with me who has been put in your class, sir." Nodding slowly, the drowsy man stood to the side, allowing a short, blue-haired girl to march in, dragging a boy of about equal height behind her.

Horo groaned, immediately recognizing his sister, and hesitantly looked at the boy next to her, who was scowling both at her and the rest of the class. He had a small frame and dark purple hair hung down his neck and stood up on his head in a sharp spike. He wore a fuchsia school uniform, which Horo assumed was Shinanome's official uniform. What struck him most about the boy, though, were his eyes- piercing twin orbs of pure gold. They scanned the room, and to Horo, they appeared to stare into every person's soul, searching for the individual's weakness. As the cat-like flare met Horo's eyes, he flinched slightly, looking away after only a second.

"Well, okay," the teacher said, then grumbling something about short notice. He walked back to the front of the class and yawned again. "There's a new student, class," he stated dismally, gesturing towards the mauve-haired boy. "Umn…what's your name again?"

The boy looked at him quickly before giving the curt reply: "Tao Ren." The teacher's brow furrowed for a moment.

"Tao…why does Tao sound so familiar?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Because it definitely should!" Pirika interrupted. "He's the son of the owner of the Tao Corporation- the corporation who donates to our school!" She grinned happily, bouncing on her heels. The Art teacher looked at her for a second.

"And who are you again?"

The blue haired girl growled angrily. "I was sent here to escort Ren to all of his classes! I'm the sister oft hat idiot in the back!" She barked, jabbing a thumb in Horohoro's direction, causing the boy to jump in his seat.

"Hah!" the teacher laughed triumphantly. "I knew you looked familiar!" Pirika just continued to stare at the teacher, features drooping in response to the stupidity.

"Umn…whatever," she replied, drained of energy. "Why don't we get back to class then?" The teacher nodded drowsily as the girl led Ren towards the tables, where the students sat in groups. Looking around, she waved at her friends. "I'm going to sit with my friends, Ren. Why don't you go sit with my brother?" She motioned towards Horohoro. "He's the stupid-looking one with blue and black hair." Her brother groaned, giving her the bird when she turned around.

He watched Tao Ren closely as the maroon-haired boy started to walk over to his table. The blue-haired boy usually sat alone, so no one could see that he never did his work. Watching the shorter boy sit down, he returned his gaze to his notebook, working on one idea that had come to him late the previous night. A few seconds later, he'd tuned out the rest of the world.

A half an hour later, he had all the plans set for the song, and he looked to see what the class was working on. Big surprise- the teacher had put in yet another video and was again fast asleep in his chair. Sighing, he looked across the table at Ren. The boy's golden eyes were completely focused on the notebook in front of him, his hand moving the pencil across the paper with clean, precise strokes. Leaning over the small table, he watched as the other boy drew. The picture soon took the form of a dragon, it's long tongue hanging out of it's mouth and curled in front of its nose, it's claws almost seeming to reach out at him from the paper. All of the detail was so perfect, Horo found himself completely absorbed in the art.

"Excuse me? Is there something you need?" Horo looked up and found himself face to face with Ren, the other's piercing eyes staring right into his. Their faces were uncomfortably close. Laughing nervously, he sat back down in his seat.

"Heh, sorry," he said quietly. Ren continued to stare at him, studying Horohoro closely, making the other boy sweat slightly. "Umn," he finally said. "I really like your drawing- you're really good!"

The other shrugged, looking back at the rest of the class- most of them slept at their desks, and the group of girls that Pirika had joined was chatting endlessly. "This class is completely pointless."

"What'd you expect? This school ain't no Shinanome!" Horo laughed. Ren glared at him, his eyes narrowing.

"No shit, Sherlock."

The blue and black haired boy flinched slightly, but laughed it off. "So, why'd you leave Shinanome to come here? I hear that school is the best of the best. You're probably smarter than most of the upperclassmen here."

"I don't think that's any of your business," the golden-eyed boy replied, closing his notebook.

The kid's attitude was really starting to bug Horo at that point. "Well sorry for trying to be nice!"

"I honestly don't give a shit if you're nice to me or not. You think I really care if an imbecile like you likes me or not?" Ren smirked at him, eyes shining with amusement.

"No, but I'd hate to see such a pretty face get messed up by, oh, let's say me, on his first day at his new school," he retorted, smirking back.

"You think someone like you could be me?!" The spike-haired boy said, a little louder this time.

"With no problem, pretty boy."

Ren suddenly jumped to his feet. "Bring it on, you idiot!"

"With pleasure, you spoiled-ass brat!" He yelled back, doing the same.

"Horohoro! Ren! Get back in your seats of I'll send you both to the principle's office!" The teacher had woken up, hearing them yelling. Both boys glanced at the teacher, then glared at each other, and sat back down.

Horohoro and Ren glared at each other throughout the rest of class, neither looking away from the other. It was going to be an interesting year.

Saroya's Note: Well, you were right! The new kid is Ren! And yes, this is a HoroRen fic! It's my favorite SK pairing! Well, for now, that was a typical Horohoro-Ren scene. Oh, and I got a few reviews about how I left out some characters. Don't worry, I'm hoping to have all of the main ones in here! Next chap, Hao's showing up. I know for a fact that Chocolove (pardon if my spelling is wrong) and Faust are going to end up in here!

Saroya's Preview: Horo whines to his friends about Ren. Pirika invites Ren to one of Oversoul's practices. Let the fighting begin!


	3. Oh Me, Oh My, The Drama

Blind Ambition Chapter 3: Oh Me, Oh My, The Drama By: Saroya Rated: PG-13 for now. (Language, suggestive humor)Warning: SHOUNEN-AI. All haters go elsewhere.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

* * *

"Yo, Horo!" 

The blue and black-haired boy plodded through the halls, grumbling to himself. What the hell was that Tao Ren's problem! Horo did was try to be nice, maybe become friends with him. And what did he get in return? Insults! Attitude! Bitchiness! After they're little discrepancy in from of the class, no words had been exchanged, and both boys had rushed out of the room to lunch, Pirika trailing Ren. With his luck, she'd probably bring him to sit at lunch with him. "God damnit!" he groaned.

"Horo!" Someone suddenly pushed him from behind. He whirled around, eyes narrowed, and glared at Yoh. The brunette grinned sheepishly. "I called you a few minutes ago, but you didn't answer. Why are you so concentrated on getting to lunch?"

Horohoro frowned. "I'm not. I'm pissed off, man." The two started walking again. Yoh cocked his head curiously. "Some dumbass transferred here from Shinanome, and I tried to be nice to him, but he's an ass! I mean it!"

Yoh laughed beside him. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"Yes, it was!" The boy clenched his fists. "He was rude! And mean! And called me an idiot, and all sorts of other things!" He jammed his hands in his pockets, dragging his feet.

"Watch out, Horohoro, you're pouting." Yoh smirked, watching his friend's face turn bright red.

"Am not! Ren's evil!"

"Evil?" Yoh laughed, hands up behind his head. "Man, I really want to meet this guy!"

"What the hell for!" Horo exclaimed.

Yoh winked at him. "I want to see the guy who can get you this riled up."

* * *

"Well, everyone, this is Tao Ren." Pirika smiled happily at the group at the lunch table, arm hooked around Ren's. Horohoro growled audibly from where he sat, not looking up. "Ren, these are mine and my brother's friends." She glared at said boy. "I know you two have already met." 

Ren merely gazed- more like glared- at all of them, mouth set in a permanent frown. Horo felt those golden eyes on him, and quickly focused on his soda, leaning forwards to avoid the angry stare.

"W-well," Pirika laughed awkwardly, feeling the tension. "You just stay here while I get my lunch, okay?" With that, she releases his arm, and ran off towards the lines.

"Umn…you know…"Yoh said after several moments. "You can sit down." The entire group of seated boys burst out laughing. Ren, who had been standing in the same place ever since Pirika left, scowled.

"I don't need you to tell me what I can and cannot do!" he snapped, eyes narrowing. Nevertheless, he sat down in one of the cafeteria chairs, leaning his head on his hands and looking off away from the group.

"Geez," Horo snickered. "Rich boy can't do anything without little Miss Control-freak around, eh?" He smirked in the Chinese boy's direction, taking another sip from his drink. Ren leapt to his feet.

"Shut the hell up, you goddamn idiot!" The purple-haired boy reached across the table, and smacked the bottle in Horo's hands. Caught off-guard, the boy let go of the bottle and it spilled all over his face and clothes.

"You fuckin' jackass!" He yelled, jumping to his feet. Grabbing Ren by his shirt, he dragged the shorter boy across the table, his dark eyes flashing. The other's yellow eyes widened, almost panicking.

"Hey, Horo, calm down," Yoh said calmly from his side, his hand on the bluenette's arm. Horohoro took a deep breath, and loosened his grip on Ren's shirt, before letting it go completely. The Chinese boy carefully pulled himself up, and sat back down, not looking any of them in the eye.

"I got a great idea while I was in line!" A perky female voice suddenly squealed. All of them jumped in their seats, turning to find Pirika standing in front of the table, tray in hand, and a bright smile on her face.

"And that is…?" Anna sighed, eyes glaring at the younger girl. The blue-haired girl smiled with unfeigned glee.

"How about we have Ren hang out with us at Yoh's after school? He can see you all practice!"

"Anna…I don't think that's a good-" Yoh started.

"Ah, hell no!" Horohoro cried. Pirika glared at her brother.

"He's coming, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"But," Lyserg said carefully, so as not to invoke the girl's wrath. "You weren't here to see what happened a minute ago. Ren…might not want to go."

Ren blinked, eyes shining with a light none of them had seen before. Smirking, he shook his head at Lyserg. "Actually, I think I'd love to go," he said smoothly. "It sounds very…intriguing." He glanced slyly in Horo's direction.

"Dammit…" the other growled quietly.

* * *

Horohoro heaved a sigh, leaning on the brick wall of the school. It was just five minutes before the final bell was supposed to ring to release the students to go home, but he'd told his teacher that he wasn't feeling well, and had been waiting there ever since. Buses were already lined up along the sidewalk outside, and several skippers, not unlike himself, were hanging about as well. 

It had been a horrible day, and all thanks to Tao Ren. What was that guy's problem, anyway? Horo had never done anything to him to make him mad, and yet the Chinese boy seemed to completely hate him. He closed his eyes, a light breeze fluttering his wild blue and black hair.

A blaring noise interrupted his thoughts, and a second later students came rushing out the front doors, not even noticing the boy watching them. Sometimes, he wishes he really could be invisible. Things would be so much simpler…

"Hey, idiot!" Horohoro snapped awake, focusing on the purple-haired figure in front of him. His eyes met bright amber as Ren shook his head. "Those dimwits told me to come get you, so move." He jabbed his thumb towards the street, where the rest of the group stood, laughing their asses off. Horo scowled at them, sticking his tongue out, then moved quickly past Ren. A slight mumble reached his ears. "Did you say something?" He glanced over his shoulder at the new boy, who scoffed.

"Nope." The bluenette rolled his eyes and kept going towards the van that was parked, not seeing if Ren was following.

"Hey, Mrs. Asakura!" he greeted, waving to the woman in the driver's seat. She waved back, smiling happily as Ryu got in the passenger seat. "Pirika decided to bring along a friend, is that okay?"

"It's fine with me," the woman replied, "but it might be a tight fit back there now." Horo nodded and turned back to the others.

"I'll go in last- you all get situated first," he ordered. Yoh, Anna and Lyserg went first and sat in the middle-row seat, followed by Pirika and Ren, who sat in the back-row seat. Looking around, he could tell the only way he'd get a seat would be to sit real close to Ren, and that wasn't happening. "I know this ain't legal, but there's no other way," he called to Yoh's mother, and sat himself in the small space between the middle-row seat and the sliding door. "All set!" With that, Mrs. Asakura started the vehicle, and they started on their way.

"Yo, Horo!" Yoh said, craning around Lyserg to look at the other boy. "You said that you'd bring the lyrics and music for that new song today, right? Did you remember?"

"Of course!" He laughed, leaning back on the seat behind him. "I really think this new song will sound great when we put it all together. I spent five whole weeks getting the harmonies right. I just hope you all will like the lyrics."

"It's not some corny love song, is it?" Pirika groaned. "You write so many of those!" All the other boys stared at her in amazement, and her brother's cheeks went red. "Oh…were they not supposed to know about those…?" She asked nervously, biting her thumb. "Sorry…"

"It's okay," Horo sighed. "It's nothing important, anyway." Ryu laughed from up front.

"'No big deal'? I think it is definitely a big deal! I never would have pegged you for a mushy-type!" the older boy laughed. "So, when are we going to hear any of those love song?"

"Never," the blue-haired boy replied quickly. "They're all horrible. I've tried over and over to write something I like, but none of it comes out right. Just a big, corny mess." He pouted, and turned away from the group so that they couldn't see.

"Of course they don't come out right," Anna scoffed from where she sat, staring out the window. "You can't possibly write about love when you've never experienced it."

"Oh, shut up." Horo let out a small sigh, and looked back at Pirika, who looked as if she was about to cry. "Don't worry, sis, I don't care if they know." He gave her his silly grin, and she laughed quietly. Looking at Ren for the first time since getting in the car, he noticed that the new boy had been watching him carefully. Surprisingly, he didn't look, for once, like he was planning Horohoro ultimate destruction. The spike-haired boy looked thoughtful, almost kind, and jumped slightly when Horo met his eyes. "What're you staring at?"

"N-nothing," Ren replied, quickly turning to look out the window. The blue-haired boy shrugged, and turned his attention back to the others.

"Needless to same, though, I'm really excited about this new song."

* * *

"Alright, boys and girls, here's your stop," Mrs. Asakura laughed from the driver's seat. Horo pulled the heavy door, sliding it across. Stepping out, he stretched his back, looking at the huge Asakura house. It was perfect- white picket fence, giant door, crystal-clear glass windows and perfectly clean white siding. As everyone climbed out, Yoh ran to the front door, and disappeared inside. 

Horo looked back at where Pirika and Ren stood. "You sure your parents will be okay with you not being home on time? We stay pretty late."

"I'm fine. My parents probably won't be home at all tonight, and my sister doesn't care," Ren replied, sounding almost sad. The blue-haired boy paused a moment, wanting to find out what was wrong. He shook that thought out of his head. He had to remember whom he was talking to.

Suddenly there was a loud, mechanical sound from the garage, and, slowly, the huge door began to open. "Well, c'mon." Horo walk into the large garage, looking around at the familiar room. To one side here was a homemade stage, equipped with a drum set, three guitars, a keyboard, and five mics with stands. On the other side, there was an old, large couch, a min-fridge, a huge stereo, and a small desk.

"You kids have fun," Mrs. Asakura said happily before entering her house. The blue-haired boy grinned and grabbed his backpack, sinking into the couch.

"So it's right to work, then?" Yoh sighed, watching the other boy rummage through his messy pack.

"Of course!" Horohoro replied. "We need to get some real work done, for once."

Lyserg yawned, walking over to the keyboard. "It's not our fault you never like how we play your songs."

"Yeah," Yoh agreed, but still began to set up a mic. "You always whine about how my voice doesn't sound right."

"It doesn't," Horo pouted, flipping through his papers. "Don't get me wrong, you have a great voice, but it's not right for the kind of songs we've been trying to sing." Inside, he frowned. All the songs he'd written before we angry, sad, depressing songs, which only a person could understand if they had felt that way before. Yoh, however, hadn't had anything really bad happen to him in his life. "This new song, though, is a bit different. I think it'll sound great on you."

"That's a relief," the others laughed, while setting up all the rest of the instruments.

"Wait 'til you hear them, Ren!" Pirika squealed excitedly from her seat next to Horo. Ren, who was sitting next to her, with Anna on his other side, merely shrugged. "I know they may seem like a bunch of idiots, but they are really talented! My bro is a musical genius!"

"Could've fooled me," the Chinese boy snickered. Horohoro twitched, but continued looking through his work. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

"Here we go!" he said triumphantly, rising to his feet. He handed out each of the parts- the guitar section to Ryu, the piano part to Lyserg, the voice part to Yoh, and last, he set the percussion part on his stand next to the drum set. "Read over your parts and the lyrics, and then we'll practice."

"Hey," Anna said from the couch. "I just realized something. Where is Manta?" Horohoro gave her a small smile.

"He's staying after school today, so I'm in charge."

"Oh boy, now we're in trouble," she snorted. The boy rolled his eyes before returning them to his paper. After a few minutes of reading, he walked over to Yoh, who, for once, was in deep concentration.

"Everything okay?"

"Uh-huh," the brunette replied, "but I'm not sure I'm getting the melody. Will you sing it once for me?" Yoh glanced up quickly, but quickly looked back down.

"Oh, no, you're not foolin' me," Horo growled. "You can't trick me into singing anything."

"Oh, c'mon. I haven't heard you sing in forever!"

"And you're not gonna hear me any time soon." Horo crossed his arms across his chest, shaking his head.

"Well then I guess we won't be playing this new song anytime soon," Ryu sighed from where he stood, waiting to start playing. The other groaned, his hanging his head in defeat. All he wanted was to have them have one good song. Then they could try to get gigs. But no, his friends had to be difficult! Grabbing Yoh's mic, he glared at the boy.

"Don't blame me if I suck," he grumbled. He frowned before opening his mouth. "I-"

"Hey, everyone!" Horohoro nearly fell off the stage as another boy walked into the garage. Dark brown hair fell down past his shoulders, and he wore a fuchsia school uniform.

Horo breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, Hao!"

"Hey, Bro!" Yoh greeted. Immediately everyone dropped what they were doing to go say hello to the other Asakura boy.

"Did I interrupt anything?" Hao asked as Oversoul put down their instruments.

"No, no, nothing at all," Horo answered quickly. The rest of the group glared at him.

"Actually," Yoh said, grabbing the bluenette by the arm. "Horohoro was about to sing for us." The other Asakura raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? I don't think I've ever heard you sing. This could be interesting." Yoh dragged Horo up to the stage.

"Well, go on."

"Gah…fine," the boy muttered, before closing his eyes a moment. Then, holding the mic tightly to try and hide the fact his hands were shaking, he began to sing:  
"I wanna change the world,  
I wanna find my pearl,  
I wanna be the one who in the end gets the pretty girl,

Don't wanna be out done,  
I wanna be second to none,  
I wanna be the hero not a zero to everyone,  
But I'm subtracting by addition,  
And I'm a pretty fat magician,  
I haven't figured out my mission,  
Just another boy with blind ambition"

Horo dropped his eyes, not looking around the room.

"Now, you see, with a voice like that, why don't you sing more often?" The blue-haired boy looked up, seeing Yoh watching him and smiling. He turned a light shade of pink, and shook his head. He couldn't explain why- none of them would understand. "Man, you get shy at the weirdest times." Trudging back to the couch, Horo sank down next to Pirika.

"It doesn't surprise me at all you never sing. You're horrible." Horohoro whipped his head in the direction the voice came from. Ren sat, arms crossed, a smirk on his face. His face darkened.

"I don't need any more shit from you," he growled. "You don't know anything about music, teacher's pet, so don't bug me."

"Music is a worthless profession," Ren stated haughtily. "You have to have a great deal of luck on your side to actually make it, and anyone who doesn't make it have no way of making a decent living. I don't see why you all are wasting your time with this."

"Just shut up!" Horohoro yelled, getting to his feet. "Our reasons are none of your business. We didn't even invite you here in the first place!"

"Hmn…you do make a good point," the Chinese boy chuckled. "You actually have a brain in there somewhere. I was expecting some kind of speech about how music is your life or something." The other twitched. "Or were you saving that to tell me now?"

"Whether music if my life or not…isn't any concern of yours," he replied slowly, giving a small shrug. "I honestly don't care about what you think of me. Go to hell." He turned around to the rest of them. "Well, you all got what you wanted. Now, I think I'm gonna head home. You all practice your parts- I already have mine memorized. Is it alright if I borrow your moped?" he asked Yoh.

"Yeah, just return it tomorrow at school."

"Okay." He turned to look at Pirika. "Are you coming with me?" His sister shook her head, long blue hair bouncing.

"No. I'll have Mrs. Asakura give me a ride later."

"Fine." With that, he left the garage.

* * *

Saroya's Note: Hah! I finally updated! Sorry for the long wait, school's been hell. I'm really surprised that you all have still been reviewing. You rock:laughs: Anyways, as you can see, these two have a long way to go before we get to the wonderful, sappy romantic stuff. But I promise, it'll be a fun ride. And I apologize for two things. One, I haven't gotten into Hao, Lyserg, Ryu, or Anna's personalities. I'm sorry to all fans of said characters, but they really don't play that big a role just yet. Hopefully they will late. And two, I didn't do much description of Horohoro's singing. Quite honestly, I have no idea how to describe singing without it being really corny and bad. If anyone can help, email or IM me. Thanks in advance! Well, I hope you enjoyed that. It was much longer than the other chapters. Review, people! It motivates me to work! 

For all the people who noticed this little thing next to the song lyrics, good for you! I was just wondering if anyone knows where this song is from? It's pretty funny, and kind of sad (on my part), but this song inspired the entire story, so I had to include it! I'll tell you the answer in chapter four, but if you know where it's from, say so! I give you…a cookie? ;

Saroya's Preview: We get into Ren's head a bit, and see his point of view on the whole situation. Secrets about his old school, his parents and much more are revealed!


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